Sharjah Police seek letters only in Arabic

Sharjah Police will only accept correspondence in the Arabic language, following the directives of His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah.

Col. Saleh Ali Al Mutawa, Commander-in-Chief of Sharjah Police, stressed that the law enforcement authority in the emirate will not accept letters, contracts, bills, applications or written complaints from government and private establishments, as well as banks, if these are not submitted in Arabic.

The move received a mixed public reaction yesterday.

"The decision was taken following the directives of Dr Sheikh Sultan stressing the need to protect the Arabic language from being deformed, and to maintain Arabic culture, intellect and identity," Col. Al Mutawa said.

He added such correspondence should be well edited and express issues clearly and concisely.

"The move will help expedite administrative matters, currently hindered due to misunderstanding of requirements, or due to receiving unclear letters written in a foreign language, or bad Arabic," he explained.

He pointed out that Dr Sheikh Sultan's efforts to maintain the Arabic language and activate its usage in correspondence will facilitate work mechanisms in government departments, and will refine the picture of Sharjah as an emirate which protects Arabic culture, heritage and originality.

Col. Al Mutawa has issued an administrative circular to the different police departments, and has called on them to pay utmost attention in their internal and external correspondence to the use of good Arabic and to be clear and concise.

He also hailed the efforts of the Arabic Language Protection Society in Sharjah for its efforts to find means of guaranteeing support to the status of Arabic through its extensive campaign that aims at spreading its objectives and bridging cooperation and coordination with the different departments in the emirate.

"The society's efforts have pushed many departments to take related effective decisions," he noted.

Companies operating in different sectors accorded a mixed reaction to the decision. Some welcomed it, noting that this is an Arab country and official correspondence should be in the language of the land, while others suggested both English and Arabic be used in the letter to facilitate mutual understanding, since the UAE is a cosmopolitan society.

A senior employee with a marine services company suggested correspondence should be made bilingual.

He pointed out that the applicant should be given the opportunity to understand what is going on and what forms and documents he is filling and receiving.

"Non-Arab applicants are mechanically moved from one counter to another in state departments, for example at car registrations, without understanding what is going on, since the documents in his hands are only in Arabic," he noted.

"The police officers and staff can communicate in languages other than Arabic to explain to clients. And when there is a queue of some 20 people with 15 of them non-Arabs, all should at least know what it going on."

He contended that with the UAE being a cosmopolitan society, mutual communication and comprehension is needed to help all communities residing in the country understand their rights and obligations, as well as the rules, regulations and work processes.

"Yesterday, I had to wait worrying for two hours for a friend to translate what was written in a police report which was only in Arabic. The accident was not my fault and I wanted to know what was in the police report," he said, stressing the need for bilingual correspondence.

The head of a multinational Indian consumer goods manufacturer, however disagreed, stressing each country has the right to maintain its identity and culture.

"The UAE is an Arab country and Arabic is the language of the land. Maintaining its use is an obligation and should be respected," he said.

He pointed out that virtually no country in the world entertains state-related correspondence unless it is submitted in its own language.

"It is the right thing for Sharjah Police to do," he emphasised. "It is a government department and should work to encourage the use of the country's language."

He did not expect limiting correspondence to solely Arabic to affect companies or cause them extra expense in recruiting bilingual staff.

"Big and medium companies already have bilingual PROs who process government transactions and correspondence. There are also typing centres and professional translators who can do the job for smaller firms," he explained.